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200 Amp Service Upgrade
New meter socket, service entrance and main disconnect for today's loads, permitted and set up with the utility. Free quotes from a family-owned electrician.
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A 200 Amp Service Upgrade replaces the equipment that brings power from the utility into your home: the mast or underground feed, the meter socket, the main disconnect and the grounding. It gives a 60 or 100 amp house the capacity for an EV charger, a heat pump, central air or a finished basement without tripping the main. Our 200 Amp Service Upgrade work covers the outside service equipment, the panel inside when it needs to change too, the permit and the utility coordination, all on one written estimate.
3D Electric is a family-owned, licensed and insured electrical contractor based in Belleville, with about two decades of work across Southeast Michigan. Service work is one part of our residential and commercial electrical services. Below you will find what the job includes, the signs it is time for an electrical service upgrade, how the work day goes and what changes the cost.
Lectro's tip
Before anyone digs for an underground service, call MISS DIG at 811 so buried gas, power and cable lines get marked first.
What a 200 Amp Service Upgrade Includes
The electric service is everything between the utility's wires and your main breaker. When people say they need a bigger service, these are the parts that change.
Service entrance. An overhead mast and weatherhead on the roof or wall, or an underground conduit that comes up at the meter.
Service entrance conductors. The heavy wires from the weatherhead or the underground feed down to the meter, sized for 200 amps.
Meter socket. The base the utility meter plugs into. A 100 amp socket is replaced with one rated for the new service.
Main disconnect. The main breaker, either inside the panel or in a separate outdoor enclosure next to the meter.
Grounding and bonding. Ground rods, the grounding conductor and the bonds to water and gas piping, brought up to current code.
The utility owns the wires out to the pole or transformer and usually the meter itself. Everything on the building side belongs to the owner, and that is the part we install. Most homes in our area are served by DTE Energy, which handles its own disconnect and reconnect.
Signs You Need an Electrical Service Upgrade
Plenty of houses run fine on the service they have. These are the situations where it stops being enough, or stops being safe.
You are adding a large load
An EV charger installation, a heat pump, an electric range, a hot tub, a shop or an addition can push a 100 amp service past its limit. A load calculation shows whether the existing service can carry the new equipment or whether it needs to grow.
The panel is full or out of date
A fuse box, a 60 amp service or a panel with no open spaces usually means the service and panel change together. Our electrical panel replacement page covers the box inside the house in detail.
The outside equipment is worn or damaged
A rusted or cracked meter socket, a mast pulling away from the house, scorch marks around the meter or a weatherhead missing its cap are all reasons to call. Water that gets into a meter socket can damage the connections over time.
You are planning a standby generator
A whole house generator for a 200 amp service needs a transfer switch rated to match. If the service is changing anyway, plan both jobs together so the meter, main and switch work as one system. Our generator sizing guide explains how to match a generator to your loads.
100 Amp vs 200 Amp Service
Amps measure how much current the service can deliver at once. The right size depends on what the house runs at the same time, which is why we do a load calculation before recommending one.
Question | 100 amp service | 200 amp service |
|---|---|---|
Typical fit | Gas heat and cooking, few big appliances | Central air, electric range or dryer, EV charger |
Room for new circuits | Often limited | More breaker spaces and more capacity |
EV charger or heat pump | Sometimes possible with load management | Usually fits once the load calculation checks out |
Standby generator | Needs a transfer switch rated for 100 amps | Needs a transfer switch rated for 200 amps |
Some homes need more than 200 amps, such as large houses with all-electric heat or a shop with welders and compressors. We will tell you if the numbers point that way.
How the Service Upgrade Goes
Free estimate. We look at the meter, the mast or underground feed, the panel and the grounding, and talk through what you plan to add.
Written quote. You get the scope and the price in writing before any work starts.
Permit. We pull the electrical permit from your township or city building department.
Utility scheduling. We coordinate the disconnect and reconnect with the utility.
Work day. The power goes off, and we replace the service equipment, conductors and grounding, then the panel if it is part of the job.
Inspection and reconnect. The inspector checks the work and the utility restores power. The order of these two steps can vary by jurisdiction.
You will know ahead of time when the power goes off and what to expect that day. Plan for a fridge and freezer that stay closed, and tell us about medical equipment or a sump pump that needs power.
Meter Sockets, Meter Banks and Storm Damage
Meter banks for multi-unit buildings
A duplex, apartment building or small commercial building may have a row of meters instead of one. Wiring a meter bank means matching each socket to its unit, labeling every disconnect and sizing the feed for the whole building. Property owners replacing aging meter banks can also see our commercial electrician services.
Burned or damaged meter sockets
Loose connections and water can overheat a meter socket until it scorches the siding. Storms can bend a mast, break a weatherhead or tear the service drop off the house. If a line is down, stay away from it and call 911, then your electric utility. Do not touch the mast or the wires.
24-hour emergency service is available. Once the utility has made its lines safe, we repair the building side of the service, and the utility reconnects after the work is approved.
Pole Barn and Outbuilding Service
A pole barn, detached garage or shop can get power in one of two ways. A feeder runs from the house panel to a subpanel in the building, or the building gets its own service and meter from the utility. The distance, the size of the load and what you plan to run decide which makes sense.
Underground runs and trenching
Underground service keeps the lines away from trees and ice, but it means digging. We lay the conduit, pull the conductors and backfill once the trench has passed inspection. Depth and conduit type are set by code and by the utility, and we confirm them for each address.
Permits, Inspection and Cost Factors
Service work needs an electrical permit, and the inspector signs off before the utility restores power. Your township or city building department issues the permit; confirm current requirements for your address. The utility may have its own rules for meter location and clearances, and we plan around them.
Every service upgrade is priced after we see it. These are the things that move the number:
Overhead or underground service, and the length of any trench
Whether the panel changes at the same time
The condition of the mast, meter socket and grounding you have now
Moving the meter to a new spot on the house
Added circuits for the equipment that prompted the upgrade
Quotes are free and written in advance with no hidden charges, and financing is available.
Why Homeowners Call 3D Electric
Our crew ranges from master electricians to electrical apprentices, and service work is everyday work for us. Floors are covered, work areas are contained and the site is cleaned before we leave. We also add a whole house surge protector at the new panel when you want one, since the service is already open.
Local pages cover the details for service upgrades in Belleville, service upgrades in Ann Arbor and service upgrades in Ypsilanti. To get started, request a free service upgrade estimate or call (734) 697-8477.
Related pages
Local details for Belleville homes
Local details for Ann Arbor homes
Local details for Ypsilanti homes
The breaker panel inside the house
Protection added at the panel
Level 2 charging at home
Switches sized to your service
Everything 3D Electric does
Frequently Asked Questions
Common signs are a 60 or 100 amp service with a full panel, breakers that trip when large appliances run together, or plans for an EV charger, heat pump or addition. A load calculation during the free estimate shows whether your current service can carry the new equipment.
Often, but not always. If the existing panel is rated for less than the new service or has no open spaces, it usually changes at the same time. Your written estimate lists exactly what is replaced.
Yes. Service work needs an electrical permit and an inspection before the utility restores power. We pull the permit from your township or city building department; confirm current requirements for your address.
It depends on the scope of the job and on the utility's schedule for the disconnect and reconnect. We give you the plan before the work day so you can prepare the fridge, the sump pump and anything else that needs power.
The generator is sized to the loads you want to run during an outage, not to the service rating. The transfer switch is the part matched to the 200 amp service. Our generator sizing guide walks through the math.
Yes. It can be a feeder from the house panel or a separate utility service with its own meter. Distance and load decide which makes sense, and underground runs are trenched, inspected and backfilled.